I am a travel blogger… I am a travel blogger… with, like, a twitter account. WEIRD. I have valued traveling my whole life, placing studying abroad in college as a primary goal (and achieving that goal twice before graduation). I understood at a young age that travel opened us up to a larger, more tolerant worldview, as well as provided experiences that one could not capture within our own comfy hometown borders. I needed to stumble or dance down cobblestone streets in multiple countries, and that desire has not diminished. But I also appreciate my own backyard, a country that houses some of the most influential metropolises and awe-inspiring national parks on this planet, complete with open highways to crisscross your way through it all.
I will road trip anywhere. Inheriting my need to wander from my father, the road trip king, I come by it naturally. I have driven overnight to watch a sunrise on the East coast with friends, spontaneously executed a weekend getaway, and prefer the scenic route whenever possible. I have driven across the United States more times than I can now count. But put more simply, I tend to seek solace, and sometimes a sense of spirituality, in natural scenery, and my car could get me to the trail that I needed to hike. John Muir famously said, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” Local Saturday morning day hikes became a regular event after my divorce, and I am lucky enough to have a dog that is always willing to travel, hoping to explore a new trail or sit by a campfire in the woods. I was able to find a clearness of mind and heart in that explorative time.
Throughout my twenties I worked in the regional theatre industry, leading me to become a high school theatre teacher for five years. Teaching, the arts, and traveling go hand in hand in many ways: the love of learning, embracing a curiosity of the world, the desire to make a positive influence on society, and hoping to invest in a community’s culture, overall wellbeing, and environment. Then add in time off over the summer and major holidays to seek out adventures, and it’s a seamless blending of worlds, a perfect marriage, if you will. And for several years, it was my preferred way to live as a single woman, working a fulfilling job and roaming whenever possible.
Eventually, though, I was ready for a change, a new challenge. I left my teaching job, put some suitcases and Maggie Dog in the car, and headed out west from Atlanta to discover a new life. Working at a winery in Denver, I made friends and uncovered a new city, as well as fell in love with and married a man who shares my desire to play in this world, excited to meander together. We are now traveling for his job as an electrician for Broadway tours, and I couldn’t have been happier to tag along. After all, before our relationship began, I had already left my job to find a new adventure, and I love to explore. But once out on the road as a couple, one thing became increasingly obvious… I needed something to work on. Not just to keep me busy, but rather something to invest in on a daily basis, providing a purpose to my wanderings and dog park seeking. Thus this blog was born.
So as my hubby works and travels with the show, I will travel with him, deciphering our nation’s cities, national parks, musical influences, culinary specialties, and talking to as many locals as I can along the way. Oh, and Maggie Dog will come along, too, occasionally adding her own opinions on dog travel. (Trust me, she is full of opinions.) Our nomadic ways will lead us to happily meander together, without an agenda for awhile, taking the time to develop our relationship and hopefully discover a little bit more about ourselves in the process.
Cheers friends, and happy meandering to you all.
Brooke the Wanderer 